HEY, YOU: Don’t Flush That!

April 20, 2015
By
M. Presgrave

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Before we begin, how about a round of applause for the toilet, huh? If you ask us, the good people at My Plumber, the humble toilet is one of mankind’s finest innovations, and as such — the commode, the john, the loo is not to be mistreated, but respected. Or else.

Or else, what? Or else, your toilet will be clogged.

Flush the things you should, and only the things you should. Trash the rest. But how are you supposed to know what’s what? Well, that’s where northern Virginia’s toilet experts come in: My Plumber.

It’s pretty simple, really. There’s a really short list of things that make up ‘the things you should’ flush category: And that’s anything created by the human body’s digestive system. That’s all, folks. Nothing else should be flushed, considering that one flush wastes three gallons of water. Since there’s not enough time in the world to list, and discuss ALL of the other things — animal, vegetable, or mineral — you shouldn’t flush, we’ll start with four.

Don’t flush that.

1. Band-Aids: Band-Aids are made of plastic. Even the cloth ones are plastic. Plastic isn’t biodegradable, and leads to clogs. Like I said, simple. Don’t flush them. Throw your Band-Aids in the wastebasket.

2. Dental floss: Much like Band-Aids, dental floss is not biodegradable. But it’s small, and stringy, you might protest. How could one strand of dental floss clog my toilet? Let me put it like this: If you’re flushing your dental floss today, chances are you did it yesterday, too. One string turns into five, into 50, and there you have a clog. Don’t flush it. Throw your dental floss in the trash.

3. Grease, oil or fat: You’ve just finished making up a batch of southern fried chicken, and you’re left with pans filled with hot, liquid oil. You know better than to pour it down your kitchen drain… so let me ask you, why you’d pour it down your toilet drain?

Grease, oil, and fats may be liquid while hot, but sooner or later, it cool. And solidifies, building up on the sides of your pipes much like a clogged artery. Don’t flush it. You’ll be better off pouring the leftover grease, oil, or fat into an old coffee can.

4. Paper towel: It’s kind of similar to toilet paper, but not quite. Paper towel is thicker and larger, and doesn’t break down as easily as its bathroom-dwelling counterpart. Don’t flush it, unless you’re in the mood to call northern Virginia’s plumbing expert, My Plumber, for a plunge.